AP U.S. History Syllabus Mrs. Janel Vecsi
[email protected] 215-299-4661 Course Description: Welcome to AP U.S. History. This course is a comprehensive survey of U.S. history comparable to the college survey required for freshmen at most universities. Students should expect an intensive course of study. The purpose of the course is to increase your understanding of United States history while building the knowledge and skills you will need to pass the AP examination. The areas of concentration include historical, political, social, and economic history coupled with an intense study of cultural and intellectual institutions and their development. Class objectives: Student will be able to• Comprehend a large body of historical knowledge • Relate that body of historical knowledge to its chronological significance • Understand and explain the objective and subjective value of the role of the historian and how his or her point of view plays a role in shaping history • Analyze the point of view of various historians during certain time periods of American history • Analyze and interpret primary sources, maps, cartoons and pictorials in respects to a particular question and respond by stating and defending a thesis • Use historical data to support various opinions concerning certain issues throughout American history • Develop skills to analyze and interpret historical data and explain the significance of historical data with relationship to cause and effect Expectations: • Academic Integrity • Be prepared for class discussions & activities • Show respect for peers & learning • Take effective notes • Use your time wisely & stay on task • Effectively communicate with teacher Assessments & Grading: Test Days: Tuesday & Thursday Throughout the year your grade will be based on the following: homework, class work & projects, collaborative analysis, regular participation in class discussions, quizzes, tests and projects (emphasizing historical research). Your grades will be based on the total number of points throughout the quarter. Grades will be weighted at • 40% for tests and quizzes • 30% project based • 10% for homework • 20% for class work/participation. Due Dates: Turning in late projects and assignments (class & homework) will result in a 25% penalty per day. Two days after the assignment is due it will not be accepted. Most assignments and projects are assigned well in advance in order to avoid situations with computer or printer problems. It is the responsibility of the student to complete the assignment before the due date to avoid these circumstances. Textbook:
Bailey, Thomas A., Cohen, Lizabeth and Kennedy, David M. The American Pageant 16th ed., Houghton Mifflin Co, 2006 Newman, John J. and Schmalbach, John M., United States History: Preparing For The Advanced Placement Exam, Amsco, 2015. Miller, Arthur The Crucible New York, N. Y.: Viking Press, 1954 *required summer reading Format of Assessment Section I Part A: Multiple Choice | 55 Questions | 55 Minutes | 40% of Exam Score • Questions appear in sets of 2–5. • Students analyze historical texts, interpretations, and evidence. • Primary and secondary sources, images, graphs, and maps are included. Section I Part B: Short Answer | 3 Questions | 40 Minutes | 20% of Exam Score • Questions provide opportunities for students to demonstrate what they know best. (No thesis.) • Some questions include texts, images, graphs, or maps. • The number of required short-answer questions has been reduced to three, and the time allotted has been decreased to 40 minutes. Students will have a choice between two options for the final required shortanswer question, each one focusing on a different time period. o Question 1 (required): periods 3-8 o Question 2 (required): periods 3-8 o Students choose between Question 3, periods 1-5, and Question 4, periods 6-9 Section II Part A: Document Based | 1 Question | 60 Minutes | 25% of Exam Score • Analyze and synthesize historical data • Formulate a thesis and support it with relevant evidence • Assess written, quantitative, or visual materials as historical evidence. • Based on Period 3-8 Section II Part B: Long Essay | 1 Question | 40 Minutes | 15% of Exam Score • Students select one question among two. • Questions will be limited to topics or examples specifically mentioned in the concept outline • Explain and analyze significant issues in U.S. history. (Thesis required.) • Develop an argument supported by an analysis of historical evidence. • The question choices will continue to focus on the same theme and skill but will now allow students to select among three options, each focusing on a different range of time periods: • • •
Option 1: periods 1-3 Option 2: periods 4-6 Option 3: periods 7-9
Historical Thinking Skills in APUSH: The curriculum framework begins by describing the historical thinking skills that are central to the study and practice of history. These are organized into four types of skills: chronological reasoning, comparison and contextualization, crafting historical arguments from historical evidence, and historical interpretation and synthesis. Teachers should develop these historical thinking skills with students on a regular basis over the span of the course. The historical thinking skills provide opportunities for students to learn to think like historians, most notably to analyze evidence about the past and to create persuasive historical arguments. Focusing on these practices enables teachers to create learning opportunities for students that emphasize the conceptual and interpretive nature of history rather than simply memorization of events in the past I.
1.
Content & Sourcing
Analyzing Historical Sources & Evidence II. Making Historical Connections III. Chronological Reasoning
2. 1. 2. 3. 1. 2.
IV. Creating and Supporting an Argument
3. 1. 2.
Interpretation Comparison Contextualization Synthesis Causation Patterns of Continuity and Change over Time Periodization Argumentation Evidence to support an argument
Thematic Learning Skills: The framework presents a set of learning objectives, organized by seven major themes that describe what students should know and be able to do by the end of the AP U.S. History course. These represent the major historical understandings that colleges and universities want AP students to have developed in order to merit placement out of the introductory college U.S. history survey course. Students should use a range of historical thinking skills to investigate the thematic learning objectives. American & National Identity Politics & Power Work, Exchange & Technology Culture & Society Migration & the Settlement Geography & the Environment America in the World
NAT POL WXT CUL MIG GEO WOR
Types of Assignments: Reading Notes: Students must submit maintain a notebook of reading notes (either in outline or an alternative form) as they correspond with the chapters. Reading notes, if they are handwritten, may be used for reading quizzes. Notes (and quiz corrections) may NOT be shared with another student. Notes should be written legibly in ink (pencil will wear out over the course of the year).
Quizzes: Each reading chapter will can include quizzes with 5-10 questions. Quizzes are designed to help you gauge where you are weakest and strongest, and to help us measure the thoroughness with which you’re approaching your practice and preparation. Unit Tests: Each unit will conclude with a test that will include both a multiple choice segment and a combination of LAQs, DBQs, and/or ShAQs. Unit tests are comprehensive, including questions reflecting textbook readings, class discussions, film clips, and activities. Unit tests may not leave the room for any reason, but students are welcome to come in and review the questions or scores by appointment. LAQs: Long Answer Questions (essays), will be assigned as part of tests and part of writing seminars. These are similar to the ones you saw last year in AP Euro, but they always test a Historical Thinking Skill. DBQs: Document Based Questions are designed to help students become comfortable reading and interpreting primary and secondary sources and then using them to construct an essay expressing a coherent argument. ShAQs: Short Answer Questions test your ability to succinctly explain or answer a historical question. These get right to the point, and don’t allow for fluffing answers.
Cemetery Project: Students will work in groups of 4-5 to complete a formal biographical research project on a person (male) was alive during the 19th century and tombstone can be found in the Woodland’s cemetery, a historical cemetery in West Philadelphia. Planning Guide: ***Please remember it is subject to change. Keep in mind you will need to stay on pace regardless of school closing, midterms, state testing schedules, field trips or extended absences.
Course Units Period One: 1491-1607
5% of AP Exam (1 week) On a North American continent controlled by American Indians, contact among the peoples of Europe, the Americas, and West Africa created a new world. Readings American Pageant Chapter 1 AMSCO Chapter 1 • Primary Source Analysis: In Defense of the Indian – Bartolomede las Casas; Travels in Quivara – Fransisco Coronado; Excerpts from the Journals of Christopher Columbus;“1491” Atlantic Monthly, March 2002 Major Topics • Life in North America prior to & at the time of European exploration • American Indian, European & African cultural experiences motivation of exploration. • Triangular Trade/Columbian Exchange Themes How did the identities of colonizing and indigenous American & American societies change as a result of contact in the National Americas? Identity How did the Columbian Exchange—the mutual transfer of Work, material goods, commodities, animals, and diseases—affect Exchange, interaction between Europeans and natives and among and Technologyindigenous peoples in North America? Migration & Settlement
Where did different groups settle in the Americas (before contact) and how and why did they move to and within the Americas (after contact)?
Politics & Power
How did Spain’s early entry into colonization in the Caribbean, Mexico, and South America shape European and American developments in this period?
America in the World
How did European attempts to dominate the Americas shape relations between Native Americans, Europeans, and Africans?
Environment & Geography
How did pre-contact populations of North America relate to their environments? How did contact with Europeans and Africans change these relations in North America?
Culture & Society
How did cultural contact challenge the religious and other values systems of peoples from the Americas, Africa, and Europe?
Essay Topics: • Cultural & economic responses of British, French, Spanish to North American Indians • Compare & contrast British, French, Spanish imperial goals in North America
Period 2: 1607-1754
10% of AP Exam (2 weeks) Europeans and American Indians maneuvered and fought for dominance, control, and security in North America, and distinctive colonial and native societies emerged Readings American Pageant Chapters 2-5 AMSCO Chapter 2-3 •
Primary Source Analysis: John Winthrop, “A Model of Christian Charity”; Accounts of the Pueblo Revolt; The Examination of Anne Hutchinson; John Peter Zenger’s Libel Trial; Jonathan Edwards, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”; The Great Awakening: Religious Revival or Zealotry, “National/Economic v. Puritan Reasons for Colonizing America”; Bacon’s Rebellion: Justified Revolution or Treasonous Insurrection
• • • •
Differences/Similarities of New England, Chesapeake & the South Indentured servitude & race based slavery Impact of Bacon’s rebellion, Enlightenment, Great Awakening & Merchantilism Imperial reorganization of 1763
Content
Themes American & National Identity
What were the chief similarities and differences among the development of English, Spanish, Dutch, and French colonies in America?
Work, Exchange, and Technology
How did distinct economic systems, most notably a slavery system based on African labor, develop in British North America? What was their effect on emerging cultural and regional differences?
Migration & Settlement
Why did various colonists go to the New World? How did the increasing integration of the Atlantic world affect the movement of peoples between its different regions?
Politics & Power
In what ways did the British government seek to exert control over its American colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries?
America in the World
How did the competition between European empires around the world affect relations among the various peoples in North America?
Environment & Geography Culture & Society
How and why did the English North American colonies develop into distinct regions? How did the expansion of cultural contact that took place with permanent colonization alter conditions in North America and affect intellectual and religious life, the growth of trade, and the shape of political institutions?
Essay Topics • Influence of Puritan ideas/values on political, economic, social development of New England • Influence of economic, geographic, social factors on growth in slavery in southern colonies • Compare and contrast economic development affected Massachusetts and Virginia politics • Compare influence of religion on development in New England, Chesapeake, Middle Atlantic • Discuss political religious, economic differences between Spanish Southwest and New England • Colonies impact of trans-Atlantic trade routes and mercantile policies on economic development of British North American colonies • Compare Bacon’s Rebellion, Pueblo Revolt, Salem Witchcraft Trials, Stono Rebellion as reflectors of colonial social tensions and/or origins & development of slavery in British North American colonies.
Period 3: 1754-1800
12% of AP Exam (2 weeks) British imperial attempts to reassert control over its colonies and the colonial reaction to these attempts produced a new American republic, along with struggles over the new nation’s social, political, and economic identity. Readings American Pageant Chapters 6-10 AMSCO Chapters 4-6 The American Revolution • Primary Source Analysis: Resolutions of the Stamp Act Congress; Second Continental Congress, Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking up Arms; Common Sense – Thomas Paine; The Declaration of Independence; The Constitution of the United States; James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist, Numbers 10 and 15; George Washington, Farewell Address; Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions Content The American Revolution • Philosophy of the American Revolution • Continental Congress • The Declaration of Independence • The War • Articles of Confederation • Treaty of Paris • Creating State Governments Themes How has the American national identity changed over time? American & National Identity How did different social group identities evolve during the Work, revolutionary struggle? How did leaders of the new United Exchange, States attempt to form a national identity? and Technology How did the newly independent United States attempt to Migration & formulate a national economy?
Settlement
Politics & Power
America in the World
How did the ideology behind the revolution affect power relationships between different ethnic, racial, and social groups? How did the revolution become an international conflict involving competing European and American powers?
Environment & Geography
How did the geographical and environmental characteristics of regions opened up to white settlement after 1763 affect their subsequent development?
Culture & Society
Why did the patriot cause spread so quickly among colonists after 1763? How did republican ideals of the independence period affect the nation’s political culture?
Essay Topics • French and Indian War’s effect on relations between Britain and American colonies • Colonial development of a sense of identity and unity as Americans by eve of Revolution • Impact of Revolution on slavery and status of women • Political, social, economic changes to American society as a result of Revolution effectiveness of Articles of Confederation • Ways British imperial policies intensified colonial resistance to Britain and commitment to republican values political, diplomatic, military reasons for United States victory in Revolution.
Period 4: 1800-1848
10% of AP Exam (2 weeks) The new republic struggled to define and extend democratic ideals in the face of rapid economic, territorial, and demographic changes. Readings American Pageant Chapters 11- 17 AMSCO Chapter 7-11 The Constitution and the New Republic • Primary Source Analysis: The Constitution of the United States; James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist, Numbers 10 and 15; George Washington, Farewell Address; Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions The Jeffersonian Era • Primary Source Analysis: Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Address; James Madison, War Message to Congress; Report and Resolutions of the Hartford Convention The Growth of Nationalism • Primary Source Analysis: James Monroe, Message to Congress, December 2, 1823 Jacksonian America • Primary Source Analysis: The South Carolina Protest against the Tariff of 1828; John C. Calhoun, Fort Hill Address; Andrew Jackson, Proclamation to the People of South Carolina; Resolutions of South Carolina on Jackson’s Nullification Proclamation; Elizabeth Cady Stanton, The Seneca Falls Declaration of 1848; Horace Mann, Report on the Public Schools Content The Constitution and the New Republic • Philadelphia Convention
• Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists • The Bill of Rights • Washington’s Presidency • John Adams’s Presidency The Jeffersonian Era • Jefferson’s Presidency • Madison • The War of 1812 • James Monroe and the Era of Good Feelings • Panic of 1819 The Growth of Nationalism • James Monroe and the Era of Good Feelings • Panic of 1819 • Settlement of the West • The Missouri Compromise • Foreign Affairs: the Monroe Doctrine • The Election of 1824 • Economic Revolution Jacksonian America • Democracy and the “Common Man” • The Second Party System • Internal improvements • States’ Rights, the Nullification Crisis, and the Bank War • Martin Van Buren • Cultural nationalism • Education reform • Religious revivalism • Utopian experiments • Transcendentalists • National literature, art, and architecture • Reform crusades Themes American & National Identity Work, Exchange, and Technology
Migration & Settlement
How did debates over American democratic culture and the proximity of many different cultures living in close contact affect changing definitions of national identity?
How did the growth of mass manufacturing in the rapidly urbanizing North affect definitions of and relationships between workers, and those for whom they worked? How did the continuing dominance of agriculture and the slave system affect southern social, political, and economic life? How did the continued movement of individuals and groups into, out of, and within the United States shape the development of new communities and the evolution of old communities?
Politics & Power
How did the growth of ideals of mass democracy, including such concerns as expanding suffrage, public education, abolitionism, and care for the needy affect political life and discourse?
America in the World
How did the United States use diplomatic and economic means to project its power in the western hemisphere? How did foreign governments and individuals describe and react to the new American nation?
Environment & Geography
How did environmental and geographic factors affect the development of sectional economics and identities?
How did the idea of democratization shape and reflect Culture & American arts, literature, ideals, and culture? Society Essay Topics • Ways which US South to advance interest in world affairs 1789-1823 • Extent of political parties contributing to development of national unity 1790-1860 • Major political personalities, states’ rights economic issues 1820 to 1840 contribute to reemergence of two party system • Transportation developments bring economic and social change 1820-1860 • Changing ideals of American womanhood from revolution to Civil War; impact of ideals on lives of women especially in light of class and race issues plantation slavery; what forces transformed institution of slavery overtime.
Period 5: 1844-1877
13 % of AP Exam (3 weeks) As the nation expanded and its population grew, regional tensions, especially over slavery, led to a civil war – the course and aftermath of which transformed American society. Readings American Pageant Chapters 17-22 AMSCO Chapters 12-15 Internal Expansionism and Cotton, Slavery, and the Old South • Primary Source Analysis: William Lloyd Garrison, The Liberator; Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin The Coming of the Civil War • Primary Source Analysis: James K. Polk, War Message to Congress; Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, and Daniel Webster, Debate on the Compromise of 1850; The Lincoln-Douglas Debates; South Carolina Declaration of Causes of Secession The Civil War and Reconstruction • Primary Source Analysis: Abraham Lincoln, First Inaugural Address; Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address; Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address Content Internal Expansionism and Cotton, Slavery, and the Old South • The Southern Economy and Slave Culture • Transportation Advances • The Industrial Revolution Takes Off • Mass Immigration Begins • The New Working Class The Coming of the Civil War • Manifest Destiny • Texas Annexation, the Oregon Boundary, and California • James K. Polk and the Mexican War; Slavery and the Wilmot Proviso • The Compromise of 1850 • Fugitive Slave Act and Uncle Tom’s Cabin • The Kansas-Nebraska Act and the realignment of parties • Dred Scott decision and the Lecompton crisis • Lincoln-Douglas debates • The Election of 1860; Abraham Lincoln • The Secession Crisis The Civil War and Reconstruction • The North • The South • Foreign affairs and diplomacy • Military strategies, campaigns, and battles • The abolition of slavery
• • • • •
Effects of war on society Reconstruction: Lincoln and Johnson Congressional plans Southern state governments The End of Reconstruction
Themes American & National Identity
Work, Exchange, and Technology Migration & Settlement
Politics & Power America in the World
Environment & Geography
Culture & Society
How did migration to the United States change popular ideas of American Identity and citizenship as well as regional and racial identities? How did the conflicts that led to the Civil War change popular ideas about national, regional, and racial identities throughout this period? How did the maturing of northern manufacturing and the adherence of the South to an agricultural economy change the national economic system by 1877? How did the growth of mass migration to the United States and the railroad affect settlement patterns in cities and the West? Why did attempts at compromise before the war fail to prevent the conflict? To what extent, and in what ways, did the Civil War and Reconstruction transform American political and social relationships? How was the American conflict over slavery part of larger global events? How did the world beyond North America perceive the civil war ? How did the end of slavery and technological and military developments transform the environment and settlement patterns in the South and the West? How did the doctrine of Manifest Destiny affect debates over territorial expansionism and the Mexican War? How did the Civil War struggle shape Americans’ beliefs about equality, democracy, and national destiny?
Essay Topics • Ways African Americans created distinct slave culture via family, music, oral traditions, religion • Moral arguments and political actions of those opposed to slavery’s spread considering Missouri Compromise, Mexican War, Compromise of 1850, Kansas-Nebraska Act • Debates of Mexican War and aftermath reflected New England, West, South, sectional divide 18451855 social, political, economic forces of 1840s/50s leading to emergence of Republican Party • Analyze debate/evaluate influence of supports and opponents of federal policies linked to territorial expansion 1800-1855.
Period 6: 1865-1898
13% of AP Exam (3 weeks) The transformation of the United States from an agricultural to an increasingly industrialized and urbanized society brought about significant economic, political, diplomatic, social, environmental, and cultural changes. Readings American Pageant Chapters 23-26 AMSCO Chapter 16-19 Development of the West in the Late Nineteenth Century The Gilded Age
•
Primary Source Analysis: Henry George, Progress and Poverty; Edward Bellamy, Looking Backward; Andrew Carnegie, “Wealth;” William Jennings Bryan, Cross of Gold Speech, The Jungle; Upton Sinclair
Content Development of the West in the Late Nineteenth Century • Expansion and development of western railroads • Competitors for the West: miners, ranchers, homesteaders, and American Indians • Government policy toward American Indians • Gender, race, and ethnicity in the far West • Environmental impacts of western settlement The Gilded Age • Industrialization and Corporate Consolidation • Industrial growth • Laissez-faire conservatism • Effects of technological development on workers and the workplace • Union Movement • Urban Society • Intellectual and Cultural Movements Themes How did the rapid influx of immigrants from other parts of the world than northern and western Europe affect debates about American national identity?
American & National Identity Work, Exchange, and Technology Migration & Settlement
Politics & Power
America in the World Environment & Geography
Culture & Society
How did technological and corporate innovations help to vastly increase industrial production? What was the impact of these innovations on the lives of working people? How and why did the sources of migration to the United States change dramatically during this period? How did the political culture of the Gilded Age reflect the emergence of new corporate power? How successful were the challenges to this power? Why did challenges to this power fail? How did the search for new global markets affect American foreign policy and territorial ambitions? In what ways, and to what extent, was the West “opened” for further settlement through connection to eastern political, financial, and transportation systems? How did artistic and intellectual movements both reflect and challenge the emerging corporate order?
Essay Topics • How and why transportation development sparked economic growth from 1860-1900 • Ways farmers and industrial workers responded to Gilded Age industrialization • Identify/analyze factors that changed American city in 2nd half of 19th century • Impact of technological innovations on factory workers, middle class urban residents, Midwestern farmers 1865-1920 • Primary causes of population shift from rural to urban environments 1875-1925 • Extent of success of organized labor in improving position of workers 1875-1900 • Big business impact on economic and politics; responses of Americans to changes 1870-1900 • Compare/contrast expression of opposition to 1840s/50’s immigration to 1910s/20s
Period 7: 1890-1945
17% of AP Exam (4 weeks)
An increasingly pluralistic United States faced profound domestic and global challenges, debated the proper degree of government activism, and sought to define its international role. Readings American Pageant Chapters 27-35 AMSCO Chapter 20-25 The Progressive Era • Primary Source Analysis: Lincoln Steffens, The Shame of the Cities; Walter Lippmann, “The Themes of Muckraking,” Woodrow Wilson, The New Freedom, Woodrow Wilson, First Inaugural Address Foreign Policy, 1898 – 1920 • Primary Source Analysis: William McKinley, War Message to Congress; Platform of the American Anti-Imperialist League; Woodrow Wilson, Peace without Victory Address; Woodrow Wilson, Speech for Declaration of War against Germany; Woodrow Wilson, Speech on the Fourteen Points; Woodrow Wilson, Speech on the Covenant of the League of Nations The 1920s and 1930s • Primary Source Analysis: Herbert Hoover, Rugged Individualism Speech; Franklin D. Roosevelt, First Inaugural Address World War II and the Origins of the Cold War • Primary Source Analysis: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Press Conference on Lend-Lease; Franklin D. Roosevelt, Four Freedoms Speech; The Atlantic Charter; Franklin D. Roosevelt, War Message to Congress; The Truman Doctrine; George C. Marshall, The Marshall Plan; George F. Kennan, “The Sources of Soviet Conduct” Content The Progressive Era • Origins of Progressivism • Municipal, state, and national reforms • Women’s roles: family, work, education, unionization, and suffrage • Roosevelt’s Square Deal • Taft • Wilson’s New Freedom Foreign Policy, 1898 - 1920 • American imperialism • The Far East, the Open Door Policy • Theodore Roosevelt • Taft and Dollar Diplomacy • Wilson and Moral Diplomacy • World War I • Problems of neutrality • Preparedness and pacifism • Mobilization • Wilson’s Fourteen Points • Postwar demobilization The 1920s and 1930s • Republican administrations • Economic development • New culture • Conflict of cultures • Examining isolationism • Depression, 1929 – 1933 • Wall Street crash • Depression economy • New Deal • Franklin D. Roosevelt • 100 days, “alphabet agencies” • Second New Deal
• American people in the Depression World War II and the Origins of the Cold War • Isolationism, neutrality legislation • Japan, Italy, and Germany • Appeasement • Atlantic Charter • Pearl Harbor • Organizing for war • The war in Europe, Africa, and the Mediterranean • The war in the Pacific • Diplomacy • Postwar atmosphere • Truman and the Cold War • Containment in Europe and the Middle East • Revolution in China • Korea Themes American & National Identity Work, Exchange, and Technology
How did continuing debates over immigration and assimilation reflect changing ideals of national and ethnic identity? How did class identities change in this period? How did movements for political and economic reform take shape in this period, and how effective were they in achieving their goals?
Migration & Settlement
Why did public attitudes towards immigration become negative during this time period? How and why did people migrate within the U.S. during this time period?
Politics & Power
How did reformist ideals change as they were taken up by reformers in different time periods? Why did opposition emerge to various reform programs?
America in the World
Environment & Geography Culture & Society
Why did U.S. leaders decide to become involved in global conflicts such as the Spanish American War, World War I, and World War II? How did debates over intervention reflect public views of America’s role in the world? Why did reformers seek for the government to wrest control of the environment and national resources from commercial interests? How did “modern” cultural values evolve in response to developments in technology? How did debates over the role of women in American public life reflect changing social realities?
Essay Topics • Success of progressive reforms 1890-1915 respecting industrial conditions, urban life, politics success/limitations of Progressive reformers and federal government on national reforms. • Federal government role changed under Theodore Roosevelt regarding labor, trusts, conservation, and world affairs • Origins/outcomes of 1920’s cultural conflict over immigration, prohibition and religion • Effects of the Spanish American War as a turning point in US Foreign policy describe/account for rise of nativism 1900 to 1930. • Compare/contrast foreign policies of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson extent to which US met objectives that led it to enter World War I
Period 8: 1945 – 1980
15% of AP Exam (4-5 weeks)
After World War II, the United States grappled with prosperity and unfamiliar international responsibilities while struggling to live up to its ideals. Readings American Pageant Chapters 36-39 AMSCO Chapter 26-29 Post-War Domestic Issues • Primary Source Analysis: Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka; Martin Luther King, Jr., “I Have a Dream;” Malcolm X, “After the Bombing;” John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address American Foreign Policy, 1960 – Present • Primary Source Analysis: Dwight D. Eisenhower, Farewell Address; Lyndon B. Johnson, American Policy in Vietnam; Jimmy Carter, Address on the Camp David Accords; Jimmy Carter, Report to Congress on the Failed Hostage Rescue Mission to Iran Content Post-War Domestic Issues • Eisenhower • Civil Rights Movement • American culture • Kennedy’s New Frontier and Johnson’s Great Society • New domestic programs • Civil rights and civil liberties American Foreign Policy, 1960 – Present • Southeast Asia • Khrushchev and Berlin • Bay of Pigs • Cuban Missile Crisis • Nixon-Kissinger foreign policy • Jimmy Carter • Iran Hostage Crisis • OPEC – oil embargo Themes American & National Identity
How did the African-American Civil Rights movement affect the development of other movements based on asserting the rights of different groups in American society? How did American involvement in the Cold War affect debates over American national identity?
Work, Exchange, and Technology
How did the rise of American manufacturing and global economic dominance in the years after World War II affect standards of living among and opportunities for different social groups?
Migration & Settlement
How did the growth of migration to and within the United States influence demographic change and social attitudes in the nation?
Politics & Power
How did the changing fortunes of liberalism and conservatism in these years affect broader aspects of social and political power?
America in the World
Why did Americans endorse a new engagement in international affairs during the Cold War? How did this belief change over time in response to particular events? Why did public concern about the state of the natural
Environment & Geography
environment grow during this period, and what major changes in public policy did this create?
Culture & Society
How did changes in popular culture reflect or cause changes in social attitudes? How did the reaction to these changes affect political and public debates?
Essay Topics • Compare/contrast the foreign policies of Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Carter. Be able to discuss key successes and failures of each administration • Explain the economic struggles of the 1970’s and give specific examples • Identify and analyze the postwar policies of US and USSR that contributed to the Cold War • Discuss the 1960’s as a decade of political protest and cultural insurgence. • Compare/contrast similarities between the 1920’s and 1950’s • 1968 became a turning point in American life: Nixon’s presidency, policies in Vietnam & China and Watergate
Period 9: 1980 – Present
5% of AP Exam (1 week) As the United States transitioned to a new century filled with challenges and possibilities, it experienced renewed ideological and cultural debates, sought to redefine its foreign policy, and adapted to economic globalization and revolutionary changes in science and technology. Readings American Pageant Chapters 39-42 AMSCO Chapters 30-31 • Primary Source Analysis: Ronald Reagan, “State of the Union Message on Economic Recovery”; Lester C. Thurow, The Zero-Sum Society; Rachel Carson, Silent Spring; George H.W. Bush, Inaugural Address; William Jefferson Clinton, “Remarks from the ‘American Millennium Celebration’”; North American Free Trade Agreement; National Security Strategy of the United States (2002) Content • • • • • • • • • • • •
New Conservatism Reagan Revolution George H.W. Bush End of the Cold War Operation Desert Storm William Jefferson Clinton Technology boom U.S. dominance in global affairs Presidential Election of 2000 George W. Bush September 11 Attacks Wars in the Middle East
Themes American & National Identity
How did demographic and economic changes in American society affect popular debates over American national identity?
Work, Exchange, and Technology
How did the shift to a global economy affect American economic life? How did scientific and technological developments in these years change how Americans lived and worked?
Migration &
How did increased migration raise questions about American identity and affect the nation demographically,
Settlement
culturally, and politically?
Politics & Power
How successful were conservatives in achieving their goals? To what extent did liberalism remain influential politically and culturally?
America in the World Environment & Geography Culture & Society
How did the end of the Cold War affect US foreign policy from 1990 onwards? How did the attacks of September 2001 impact America’s role in the world? How did debates over climate change and energy policy affect broader social and political movements? How did technological and scientific innovations in areas such as electronics, biology, medicine, and communications affect society, popular culture, and public discourse? How did a more demographically diverse population shape popular culture?
Essay Topics • Compare/contrast responses of Americans to immigrants during 1820-1860, 1880-1924, 1965-2000; patterns of immigration of same eras • Social, economic, foreign policy goals of New Right conservatives 1960s to 1980s; degree Reagan implemented goals.